More ‘remember where we came from?’ fun, this time from the tumultuous 2000/2001 campaign. Adam Pearson’s takeover of City in March 2001, a month after we were locked out of Boothferry Park and served with a winding up order, breathed new life into the Tigers who went on a remarkable run that elevated us into the play-off places. A pivotal game was the late April home tie against Division Three leaders Chesterfield, or as they were dubbed that year, Cheaterfield. The church spire wasn’t the only thing crooked around Saltergate in 2001, for Chesterfield were found guilty of submitting falsified gate receipt information to the league, and using the undeclared income to make non-contract payments to players, usually in cash stuffed in envelopes.

As if a late-season game between the table toppers and play-off chasers didn’t have enough intrigue, this fixture took place two days before an FA disciplinary panel convened to mete out punishment to the Spireites. It was speculated that Chesterfield would be given a huge point deduction for the financial irregularities, and if this were to happen, then automatic promotion could suddenly be within reach for the Tigers, a draw in this game would guarantee us a play-off position at least, but we really wanted a win to keep us in with a shout at a top three finish.

We got the win too, in a fantastic game witnessed by 11,337 people including some Tiger Nationals who taunted blue-shirted players by waving envelopes at them. Mike Edwards ended a goalmouth melee when he drilled in our first goal, but parity was restored when Ian Breckin nodded in an equaliser for Chesterfield. Beloved giant Kevin Francis restored the Tigers’ lead though, directing Rob Matthews’ cross home with his head, before Rodney Rowe won a penalty despite seemingly never entering the 18 yard box (hehe) and made sure we took all three points by scoring from the spot.

Chesterfield were docked points, but only nine of them (many had called for a 50 point deduction), which still left them three points clear of the play-offs and therefore assured of promotion. City had to settle for play-off participation and would later fall at the semi-final hurdle, but immediately after this pulsating 3-1 win, anything seemed possible for City.

Sunderland appear to have our number right now, having beaten us in our last five meetings, and while defeat is always painful, Saturday’s thumping at the Stadium of Light was particularly galling for the Tiger Nation, who had to stomach the sight of former heroes Michael Turner and Fraizer Campbell celebrating the Mackem’s fourth. Gah!

“Remember where we’ve come from” is a common refrain from glass half full types when we’ve been gubbed in the Premier League, so we shall. This video recalls a heartening victory during our ‘Great Escape’ season. Having been stranded at the bottom of the entire league late in 1998, the Tigers staged a remarkable turnaround that began in January 1999.

Player-boss Warren Joyce brought in Jon Whitney, Gary Brabin and Justin Whittle, making City hard to break down, but we started scoring too. Having beaten Rotherham 1-0 a fortnight earlier, City dismantled a Hartlepool side that featured gurning Geordie and one time England midfielder Peter Beardsley. All four goals came in a frenetic first 45 minutes, and here they are. Enjoy…

This years City shirt is a tip of the hat, not to Wolves as some suggest, but to the pinstriped Admiral effort we wore in the early 80’s. In this video we can see that original shirt in action, against Port Vale in March 1983.

This top of the table Division Four clash resulted in a 1-0 win for City, and kept us ahead of the Valiants in the promotion race, we finished the 1982-83 campaign in 2nd place, 8 points behind Wimbledon and 2 points ahead of Port Vale, as the Tigers climbed out of the basement division at the second attempt.

This clip is fascinating for several reasons, in it you can see work in progress on the supermarket and strip of terracing that replaced the grand old North Stand of Boothferry Park, hear City fans singing “You’ll never walk alone”, possibly to welcome former Liverpool and England captain Emlyn Hughes, who joined City late in the season, and see revered Tigers alumni such as Garreth Roberts, Billy Askew, Brian Marwood and Billy Whitehurst play together.

On Friday, ahead of City’s 1-0 home win over Bolton, manager Phil Brown took the squad to see the floodlight flanked pile of rubble that is Boothferry Park, in order to impress upon the current players where the club has come from in the last decade.

One of Phil Brown’s memories of FER ARK must be this Friday night Division Three game in April 1993 when he set up John McGinley’s goal for promotion chasing Bolton, which led to Wanderers fans invading the Boothferry Park pitch.

Cheeky Chappy Jimmy Bullard is already well known for having a wicked sense of humour, particularly among Soccer AM afficionados. The Saturday morning footy show have been showing clips of our Jimmy for years, but this new clip has to be the best one yet. Judging by the little jig he does at the end, it shouldn’t be too long before we see him in action for considerably longer than the 37 minutes we’ve had so far. Zany.

Ancelotti look like a genetic splicing of Gordon Brown and Terry Wogan doesn’t he? Note how many times the questioner tempts Brown to slag off the referee. Phil Brown is a rarity in that he actually says what he thinks rather than spew dreary platitudes, you’d think media types would appreciate this, but instead they want to manufacture faux-controversy and continue to make Brown out to be a figure of fun and ridicule. Meffs.

Perhaps we weren’t taking the Asia Trophy final that seriously, given our starting XI, Phil Brown used the second game at the Workers Stadium as a chance for some of the kids ( Nicky Featherstone, Tom Cairney and Nathan Doyle) and lesser used senior players (Err, ok, just Tony Warner) a chance to shine against Premier League opposition. Michael Turner’s absence will no doubt have had the perpetually paranoid assuming that means he’s about to be sold, but then why would we risk our most valuable player in two games in two days? Instead, our one new face Steven Mouyokolo was given a start.

City were dreadful in the first half, seemingly content to just punt the ball aimlessly upfield when we had it, most of the time it was in Tottenham’s possession. Despite that we conceded just one of the three goals let in in the first 45, Robbie Keane struck a shot that squirmed underneath Warner and in. City played better in the second half, perhaps because we threw Geovanni on at the break, but it ultimately bore no fruit. Keane grabbed a second from the penalty spot after Warner clumsily felled Jermaine Defoe, a man who evidently only I think resembles the taxi driver in Total Recall.

Lennon added a third late on to guarantee Spurs the rather fetching Asia Trophy, err, trophy, which they’ll keep for the next two years. Anyway, don’t rely on my descriptions of the goals, see for yourself on the video.